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Estate Planning: What to Think About Before Meeting Your Lawyer

Here are four key elements of estate planning that can not only help to preserve the value of your estate but also to ensure the efficient administration and disposition of your estate assets.

1. A will is the cornerstone for an estate plan and deals with all matters regarding the final distribution of your estate assets. A will is a legal document that speaks on your behalf upon your demise. If you do not have a will, then the courts will decide the manner in which your estate assets will be distributed - and this may not be in accordance with your wishes.

2. A trust is a legal document that can be designed to address any unique situation that you may have in regard to the distribution of your estate assets. For example, a spendthrift trust can be set up to protect the interests of a beneficiary who is not good at handling money. A trust can be set up for the protection and administration of assets for minor children, a spouse or for any other beneficiary.

Creative use of wills and trusts can not only protect the interests of your heirs, but also can help reduce the impact of taxes and probate fees. An estate planning attorney can help with the proper legal drafting of wills and trusts. But before you engage the services of an attorney, it is highly recommended that you should do the essential ground work first - this will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in legal and accounting fees.

3. Your estate executor will need to know the location of your assets and vital documents. If you do not have a proper record of your assets and vital documents, valuable assets can be "lost" during the estate settlement process. For example, there are billions of dollars in unclaimed money currently held by the government waiting to be claimed by the beneficiaries of deceased relatives.

4. It is vitally important to understand that most estates usually comprise of assets that are not readily convertible into cash. For example, real estate, long term financial investments, business interests, rental properties and other assets. In other words, most estate assets are generally illiquid.

Without proper funding arrangements it is highly probable that valuable estate assets may have to be liquidated at fire sale prices in order to pay taxes and other estate settlement expenses. These expenses can easily amount to thousands and even millions of dollars in the case of larger estates. There is a smart way to fund estate settlement expenses without having to liquidate valuable estate assets by the creative use of life insurance.

By implementing the above estate planning strategies you can ensure that all your affairs are properly organized and depending on the size of your estate, you could potentially save thousands if not millions of dollars. Your heirs will be proud and glad that you made all the proper arrangements and that all your affairs were left in excellent order. To learn more on estate planning please check the resource box below.